Fall is moving right along. The leaves are turning and falling and the temperature is falling also.

We went to Wheelersburg to get apples from an orchard for apple butter and saw such pretty scenery.

Late in the week it was time to get feed from Monnig’s and again the ride was very pretty. Stopping by the Pine Grove Cemetery, we were very pleased to see the cemetery in such good condition.

We have learned that where a furnace was, there were a cemetery, store and a church/school. At the bottom of the hill of the Pine Grove Cemetery, there was a small white church, which we believe was a Presbyterian Church.

When the new owners of this property sold the church, the shingles were removed and a log church appeared.

The church was organized in 1835 and later St. Mary’s Church was organized in 1849. The Pine Grove furnace was built in 1828 by Robert Hamilton, Andrew Ellison Sr. and Andrew Ellison Jr.

Robert Hamilton’s family died during an epidemic and they are buried in the Pine Grove Cemetery.

It is still visual but the monuments are unreadable and some have fallen down. Mr. Hamilton moved to Peebles and later married and is buried there. In 1837 the first saw mill was built on Pine Creek and the first election in this township was in 1821.

We have been reading Lori Shafer’s “Ghost Stories of Lawrence County” and finding it very enjoyable. Now that Christmas is approaching, you can find history books, pottery and other items that can be great Christmas presents.

As you notice, I said Christmas and not as it was used in the last article title. We will continue to keep Christ in Christmas and not call him “X.” There are many people in Lawrence County who agree.

Remember to get your reservations in for the Christmas Tea, which will be Nov. 14. The museum will be closed Oct. 18 and reopen Nov. 1 with the “Gray House’ beautifully decorated.

The docents informed us of the outstanding visitors at the museum last weekend. They were from California, Michigan and some on their way to Florida who stopped by. They were impressed with the history that was shown there.

Historical Fact: History of Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum

In the 1830s and 1840s, Cincinnatians were saddened by the recurrence of the cholera epidemic. The crowded and sometimes unkempt appearance of many of the small church cemeteries in the basin area offered little comfort to bereaved families.

Results from this concern, members of the Cincinnati Horticultural Society formed a cemetery association in 1844. They sought to acquire enough land to be used for funerary purposed into the indefinite future, which could be embellished with shrubbery, flowers, trees, walks and rural ornaments.

(On Dec. 1, 1844, Salmon Chase and others prepared the Articles of Incorporation. Chase lobbied with legislators.)

In 1987 Spring Grove officially changed the name to “Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum. Since its founding over 150 years ago, Spring Grove has remained a leader in cemetery design and management. The first interment was made Sept. 1, 1845. When examining this cemetery, you will find many Lawrence County people buried here.

“Only a place with a heart and could make for its dead a more magnificent park than any which exists for the living.” This is place that you can visit in Cincinnati.